Trust Me
by ArmagonAuthor
Summary: One-Shot, taking place pre-season 4. An ordinary conversation between Sam and Ruby may be hiding unordinary motives. Be careful who you put your trust in... Ruby's POV.


"Bruises cover your arms,  
Shaking in the fingers with the bottle in your palm.  
And the best is,  
No one knows who you are,  
Just another girl alone at the bar."

- Don't Trust Me, 3OH!3

The room was surprisingly quiet for it's size, but Ruby was pleased to note that the club was loud enough for her. And dark enough too.

Her finger self-consciously stroking a circle around the rim of her drink, she felt the presence of the people around her both suffocating and calming at the same time. Without even having to look around, she felt Sam's presence behind her at the card table and waited for him to loose another hand at poker before finally turning, the brunette waves of her host cascading over her shoulder as she turned to look right at him. After a moment, Sam looked up. His eyes immediately widened when he saw her, and she watched him brush off the other man at the table with an excuse before walking over to her. He gestured to the man behind the counter, raising a hand to draw attention to himself as he pulled up a stool. After the bartender handed him a drink, he held it in both hands, leaning his elbows on the table with his body angled slightly towards her. For a minute, Ruby didn't acknowledge Sam's presence, merely looking around the room while feeling his eyes on her face. By the time she looked at him, he had eventually given up.

"Honestly," Ruby tilted her head as she looked at him, her hair making a curtain over half of her face. With a slow and careful hand, she brushed it away and behind her ear. "I thought you would have come sooner."

With a sigh, Sam took a swing from his drink before looking up to her. "I needed some time."

"I could have helped…"Ruby turned a little so she could slide an arm around his shoulders, but he tilted his body so that it was forwards and just out of her reach. She stayed there for a moment with her arm in the air, not letting herself feel the slightest bit rejected as Sam took another sip of his drink and looked away. "You know Sam," She tried again, resting an arm on his shoulder and moving it up until it rested at the back of his neck. She ran a finger through the hair there, and he turned his head to look at her in reaction to the physical touch as most humans – and most men – usually did. Ruby tilted her head a little bit more. After all, it was very hard to overkill the sweet and innocent vibe when it came to Sam. "You don't have to do this by yourself. I'm here to help" –

"I don't _need_ your help," Sam mumbled in reply through clenched teeth, and Ruby could tell from his body posture that he was purposely leaning his elbows on the table in a way so that he didn't have to look at her. " I just went to Dean's grave. I don't need help going to see my broth…"He cut off the last word, seeming to decide that he was better off not saying it. Sam sighed. "I just wanted some time… It's no big deal…"

No big Deal? Of course it was a big deal. No… Ruby knew that going to Dean's grave was a _very_ big deal. Of course… it was always the same thing over and over and over again. It had been the same thing for almost two months now. Sam would sneak out in the middle of the night, thinking that Ruby didn't know, and get in Dean's precious car. He would always sigh before driving, as if for some reason Sam considered the stupid thing holy or something. It wasn't like Dean was about to crawl out of the grave and throttle Sam just because he was driving his "baby," but that didn't stop Sam from treating the thing like his most prized possession. And after Sam finally made himself get in the driver's seat, he would always sit there for a minute, staring at those stupid Metallica and AC/DC tapes that his brother had abandoned him with. Then he would drive out to the site where Bobby had helped him burry Dean, and he would come back a few hours later with bloodshot eyes, a bottle of whiskey and an ever-depressing attitude. But then again, that had been the same ever since Dean died.

Ruby couldn't really say that she wasn't prepared for this. For a year, she had been following Sam around. Training him, pushing him, making him tougher and stronger. Preparing him for the day his brother would die. Don't be afraid, she had told him. Don't be afraid to take what you want. Don't be afraid to get revenge. Don't be afraid to do what you have too to stay alive. But then again, what with Sam being such a humanitarian and all, it had been very hard to get him out of his shell. It had been easy to get his attention, and easier yet to convince him that she really had known a way to save Dean's life. That she was "good." Fixing the colt had been a smart choice, and Sam had saved her the trouble of killing some of the demon's that had gotten in her way in the past. Heck, Dean had even gotten a few too.

But then… the inevitable had happened. Dean's deal was up. Sam had summoned Ruby; has she had expected, and he had been prepared to go the next step to save Dean's life; as she knew he would. Sam was _finally _ready to use his powers. But of course… Dean got in the way. As always. He had to swoop in, declaring that Ruby was "using" Sam, and that she was leading him down a "bad" road. He had even hit her. That was a _bad_ decision on his part, but she had showed him who was boss afterwards.

Despite all this, Ruby didn't really want to call Dean a casualty in the end when he had died. He had been… a dick. But he was useful, and he was a strong motivator for Sam. Besides, Ruby wasn't cold enough to wish hell upon anybody… not even Dean. Having him out of the way was never a bad thing, but even Ruby wouldn't have had the nerve to send him there…

It hadn't really been a surprise when it happened though. She knew it would. Ruby had been climbing the stairs with Sam, trying to find Lilith, and then all of a sudden …_she_ was there. It was terrifying. Then the all too familiar sensation of being ripped apart a thousand times in slow motion greeted her back home. Hell. And soon later, Lilith came back with news that she had brought Dean home too. It was going to be a long… long month for Ruby.

But back on planet earth, Sam had just buried his brother. It had barely been twenty-four hours since Dean had died, but Ruby had managed to lie, beg and manipulate her way back on to the surface. Of course, Sam hadn't taken Dean's death well… to say the least. She had found him wandering in, drunk and dirty, from what she could only assume was a crossroads. When her and her "friends" had attacked him, she was angry to see him so… willing to die. Even after she had traded in for a new body (for Sam's peace of mind, of course), gotten him using demon blood (he was a bit skeptical about that part) and spent two months training him to use his powers the way he was meant too (he was ready for that, of course. Anything to save his precious brother)… that part was never easy to erase. And that was the thing that scarred Ruby the most. As much as she _hated_ to admit it – and hated to think it – Sam was a wreck without his brother. It's as if the men were connected at the hip or something! Sam was honestly willing to die to get Dean back, willing to die in the fight for Lilith. It seemed like Sam didn't think life was worth living without his brother. Didn't he see how close they were to winning this? Didn't he see how far Ruby had taken him to the top? How much he was worth? Sam was worth more than anything Ruby had seen in centuries, worth more than all the trips to hell combined. Didn't he see that? If Sam died, they would loose _everything_. And Lilith… She would get the crown. She would kill everybody on her way up too. Including Ruby. So Sam _couldn't_ die, if only to ensure the greater good of humanity… and Ruby.

"Sam…"Ruby leaned into him a little bit, giving him one of her well-rehearsed sympathy-looks. " You know you can always talk to me, you know… if you need me. I'm always here. You know that, right?"

Irritated, Sam pulled away a little, but she tightened her grip on his shoulder enough to keep him beside her. "Ruby…"

"Oh come on Sam, I'm only trying to _help_." Ruby let her voice break a little, just enough to catch his attention, and looked up towards him with a frown. She saw his eyes tighten, saw those Winchester walls that he kept around his consciousness lower a little, and he gave her a half-smile. "You aren't going to leave me hanging here, _are _you?

"Of… Of course not…"

"Good," She bared her teeth in what seemed to come off as a genuine smile, and felt the effect come back to her instantly. "Now let's get out of here before I die of secondhand smoke."

Rolling his eyes, Sam huffed as he threw a twenty on the table to pay for their drinks. "Yeah… It'll _kill_ you. Sure. Don't cat's have nine lives?"

"Oh, hilarious. Cats! Well if you are going to be that way, you should probably know that we do have _feelings_." Ruby went along with the joke, guiding him along by a hand on his back. He didn't pull away – which was a good sign – and they left the bar with fake smiles. She felt her face sober as Sam's did. "Sam…"Ruby moved her hand across his back in a slow circle, feeling him move into the touch as if desperate for attention. " You know it's going to be okay, right?"

Sam sighed depressingly, but didn't argue.

Ruby gave him a gentle push, and he moved towards the Impala as if guided by his _own_ willpower. "Honestly Sam. It's all going to be okay…"Ruby felt her eyes turn black, enjoying this moment of power that Sam was a part of but couldn't see. "…Trust me."

The End.


End file.
